Kieran is the king of curry in our house, so I don’t get to make it that often as his are far superior to mine. He’s spent quite a lot of time and effort researching BIR (British Indian Restaurant) style curries and can now convincingly produce something that wouldn’t be out of place in a British Indian restaurant. 

This recipe is not that, but it is delicious and helped convince Kieran that I sometimes might be allowed to make curry too! This vegetarian curry of paneer and spinach was super creamy and rich. We don’t eat much rice, so we served ours with store bought naan (although we have recently discovered frozen paratha and cannot recommend them highly enough!)

Vivek Singh

• 4 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 2 black cardamom pods
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 large onion (finely chopped)
• 1½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
• 1½ tsp red chilli powder
• 4 ripe tomatoes (puréed)
• 2 tbsp full-fat milk powder
• 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
• 1 tbsp cashew nut paste or butter
• 1 kg paneer (cut into rounds and trimmings reserved)
• 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
• ½ tsp ground garam masala
• ½ tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp single cream
• 25 g butter (chilled)
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (to garnish)
• ½ lemon (juice only, to serve)

1. To make the masala, heat the ghee in a heavy-based casserole dish. Add the cumin seeds, green and black cardamom pods and the bay leaf and let them crackle. Add the onion and sauté over a medium heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the salt, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and cook for 10–12 minutes, until the onion has softened to bring out its natural sweetness.
2. Add the white pepper, ginger and garlic paste and red chilli powder and cook for 3–5 minutes over a low heat, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 10–12 minutes over a low heat until the tomatoes are reduced by half and the ghee begins to separate from the sides of the pan.
3. Stir the milk powder and yoghurt into the masala. Add the cashew nut paste and cook for another 3–5 minutes. Add the paneer rounds and gently stir for a minute or two, taking care not to break the paneer. Add the paneer trimmings, fenugreek, garam masala and sugar, finish with the cream and simmer for another minute or two. Add the butter and stir to emulsify the butter in the sauce but do not allow to boil.
4. Garnish the masala with coriander and squeeze over the lemon juice.